Parthenium hysterophorus L.

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Photo: Bart Wursten
Canda Community, lower slopes Mt Gorongosa, Mozambique

Photo: Bart Wursten
Hotel Castelo Branco, Chimoio

Photo: Bart Wursten
Nhascuvo Ranger Camp, Gorongosa National Park

Photo: Sune Holt
Vuca Interior, Inhassoro, Inhambane, Mozambique

Photo: Bart Wursten
Old Runde Bridge, Mwenezi

Photo: Mark Hyde
Swan Drive, New Alexandra Park

Photo: Mark Hyde
Between Celebration Centre and Borrowdale Road, Harare

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Species details: Click on each item to see an explanation of that item (Note: opens a new window)

Synonyms:
Common names:	Congress grass (English) Demoina weed (English) Famine weed (English) Feverfew (English) Parthenium (English)
Frequency:
Status:	Introduced
Description:	Bushy much-branched annual herb to 1 m. Leaves sessile, up to 10 × 5 cm, deeply 2-pinnately lobed with obtuse ultimate segments, densely puberulent below, less so above. Panicle large and lax. Capitula c.3 mm in diameter, hemispheric. Phyllaries in 2 series, 2-3 mm. Rays c.0.5 mm, white, ± circular, 5 per capitulum. Fertile achenes black, c.2 mm, broadly obovoid, flattened, pubescent near apex.
Type location:
Notes:	Recorded by Sheila Gregory near Gaborone on 31 January 2015. This is the first record for Botswana.
Derivation of specific name:
Habitat:	Roadsides and disturbed places
Altitude range: (metres)
Flowering time:	All year
Worldwide distribution:	Native of South and Central America; naturalised elsewhere in the tropics
FZ divisions:	SE
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Literature:	Bandeira, S., Bolnick, D. & Barbosa, F. (2007). Wild Flowers of Southern Mozambique Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Maputo, Mozambique Page 212. (Includes a picture). Beentje, H.J. & Ghazanfar, S.A. (eds.) (2005). Compositae (Part 3) Flora of Tropical East Africa Pages 815 - 816. (Includes a picture). Da Silva, M.C., Izidine, S. & Amude, A.B. (2004). A preliminary checklist of the vascular plants of Mozambique. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 30 Sabonet, Pretoria Page 146. Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 27. Ntore, S. & al. (2024). Checklist of the vascular plants of Burundi Page 70. Wild, H. (1967). The Compositae of the Flora Zambesiaca area. 1. Heliantheae. Kirkia 6(1) Pages 8 - 9.

Other sources of information about Parthenium hysterophorus:

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Flora of Burundi: Parthenium hysterophorus
Flora of Mozambique: Parthenium hysterophorus
Flora of Zimbabwe: Parthenium hysterophorus

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Parthenium hysterophorus
African Plant Database: Parthenium hysterophorus
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Parthenium hysterophorus
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Parthenium hysterophorus
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Parthenium hysterophorus
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Parthenium hysterophorus
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Parthenium hysterophorus
JSTOR Plant Science: Parthenium hysterophorus
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Parthenium hysterophorus
Plants of the World Online: Parthenium hysterophorus
Tropicos: Parthenium hysterophorus
Wikipedia: Parthenium hysterophorus